The Millen Era is Officially Over: Take a Breath Lion Fans!

The last couple of articles I’ve written, I was very critical of the Lions owner William Clay ford. Sr.  This isn’t going to be a retraction of any statements that I made.  I still believe that in order for the Lions to succeed in any way, shape or form, Mr. Ford needs to no longer be part of the equation.

But we Lions fans need to collectively take a breath and step back for a moment.  Now that Rod Marinelli is gone, I think it’s safe to say the Millen Era is over.  Cue the dramatic music, raise the curtain and put Martin Mayhew into the spotlight.

Yeah, OK, I know…Martin Mayhew is a letdown.  No Scott Pioli, no Bill Cowher, and more than likely, no Bill Parcells.  Once again, Mr. Ford has made the decision to promote from within.  But Mayhew is the guy and we need to give him the same chance we gave Millen when he first arrived.

Please, before you want to throw me under the bus, let’s remember that many NFL pundits and fans actually approved the hiring of Millen.  At the time, I wasn’t sure simply because he had no experience at any level.  He did baffle a lot people with bull-pucky though, didn’t he?  He was hired on his analysis of players from the broadcast booth.  You, me, the guy at the bar, anyone of us can analyze top-players, playing in a game, chosen by somebody else, from a broadcast booth.  How tough was it to analyze Barry Sanders?  Joe Montana? Jerry Rice?  Nice job on Millen’s part for selling himself as an expert.  It got him a huge contract as well as an extension.

But Mayhew is saying all the right things as well.  And he is pointing to the Millen era and recognizing it for what it is:  The one way not to run an NFL franchise.  Mayhew is in a difficult spot.  He has to follow the most spectacular failure ever to run an NFL franchise.  I actually think he’s going to do well compared to Millen.  He’s way more cautious and has already made a great trade with the Dallas Cowboy’s for draft picks.

The 2009 NFL Draft is going to be the most important than any other draft in Lions recent history.  There is all kinds of speculation of what Mayhew will do.  Will he draft a QB?  Will it be a left tackle?  Will he go for defense?  Will he trade the #1 pick for more draft picks?  Will he go after Matt Cassel if he declares free agency? 

Most important, who will he hire as head coach?  I feel this is actually more important than the draft?  Bill Cowher is out of the picture so forget him.  But Mike Shanahan is available; will he go after a legend in the making with a proven record?  Shanahan has a 146-98 record in 16 years, 138-86 in his 14 years with the Broncos along with 2 Super Bowl wins in 1997 & 1998.  But his last 3 seasons have been mediocre with a 24-24 record in that time.  What of Eric Mangini, who really didn’t set the world on fire while with the Jets but is an Andy Reid protégé?

Or does Mayhew go, as many teams have done lately, with someone that would bring a fresh approach?  Steve Spagnuolo, New York Giants defensive coordinator comes to mind.  Or Jason Garret, the darling of the NFL during the Dallas Cowboys 13-3 2007 season? 

We’ll know more in a couple of weeks.  Right now, Mayhew, Lewand and the rest of the Lions brain trust are meeting and will be interviewing a lot of coaches.  I hope, whoever they pick, will get rid of the ineffective Cover-2 defense and change it to more of an aggressive one such as the Giants and Ravens employ. 

Until then, I am taking a breath and wait to see what shakes out.